


Not Meant To Be

by ScriptaHistoriarum



Series: Happily After Ever [1]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrien is not mean okay, Angering feminists, F/M, Short Story, Sorry Not Sorry, Will have a sequel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-21
Updated: 2017-10-21
Packaged: 2019-01-20 18:07:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 18,176
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12438660
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ScriptaHistoriarum/pseuds/ScriptaHistoriarum
Summary: Locked up in his house for all of his life, he never had that much social contact. Then she came by. It was love at first sight. Looking into her eyes and hearing her voice once was enough to give him sleepless nights thinking about her.





	1. When I saw you

**Author's Note:**

> So, I'm posting all my stories from FF to A03, so that'll take a while. Anyway, enjoy! If you like it tell me what you think (+ leave kudos)!
> 
> No, I'm not desperate. Not at all, what makes you think that... hehe...

He was lying on his bed on his stomach, face buried in his pillow. He had a pretty hard time breathing, but he could just inhale a sufficient amount of oxygen to keep his thoughts running so he didn't care. There was so much to do, but he had no motivation to do anything. There would be so many people, he wasn't used to that. You could say that he had social anxiety. Being locked up in your house your whole life has that kind of effect on people.

"Excuse me, Mr. Agreste?"

Today was even worse. He was sort of used to all those designers, models and colleagues of his father entering the house on a daily basis. Same was for all those fancy parties, though he usually just hid in a corner until it was over. But today he would have to listen and actually communicate with people.

"...Mr. Agreste?"

Undiscovered designers, from young fifteen-year-old girls to grown-up men, would be visiting him. Explaining their designs and introducing themselves to get to know each other and see if there would be some sort of bond. He could pick one, only one, out of the hundreds of designers that would show up today. The lucky one would have the honor of dressing him on multiple occasions during Gabriel Agreste's fashion shows. Adrien was mostly the highlight of his father's shows, so being able to dress him was a huge boost for any designer's career.

"A-are you alright?"

The only person he could get along with was Chloé. She wasn't the… most ideal person to hang out with, but she was his age and used to the same way of life he had, so they had a lot of the same interests and understood each other's concerns.

He had Nino too, of course. When Adrien snuck out of the house a few years ago, he accidentally bumped into the boy on the street. They hit it off immediately and have been best friends ever since, unbeknownst to his father. Gabriel would never approve of Nino, so they kept their friendship secret. They texted, called and video-chatted all the time, but never hung out in real life. They could manage their friendship this way, but it wasn't the same as hanging out. Adrien was almost turning eighteen now though, so it wouldn't be long until he could make choices for himself and he couldn't wait for the day he could proudly call Nino his friend.

He heard vague footsteps, but didn't acknowledge them, thinking it was just someone walking around in the house.

His father would have the most power. Adrien could say that he liked one of the designers, but if Gabriel didn't think he or she was good enough, it wouldn't be happening. Adrien didn't blame his father though. He could get along with someone, but that didn't mean their designs were good. He could maybe see the difference between a good and bad design, but he didn't have that designer's eye like his father had.

He suddenly felt something poke his leg and he got dragged out of his train of thoughts. He turned on his back in a swift movement and grabbed the thing that was poking him, which turned out to be a soft, girly hand.

He looked up to see two big, bluebell eyes looking down on him. Beautiful bluebell eyes he had to admit.

She pulled her hand away in embarrassment, you could see the tiny blush on her face, and used her other hand to scratch the back of her neck.

"I-I'm so sorry, Mr. Agreste. I didn't mean to startle you. I was just told to come up here and then I entered the room and I talked to you, but you didn't respond and you didn't move at all, and that scared me, so I thought I should check how you were since you looked so…"

He chuckled at her rambling. "Lifeless?"

She smiled in return. "I was going for not well, but lifeless works too."

Now that he was sitting up, he could take in her whole face and body. She had dark blue, almost black, hair tied down in two pigtails. Her hair would most likely fall just on her shoulder when it was loose. She was quite pale with an eternal flush on her cheeks. Freckles were scattered on her face, mostly around her cheek and nose area. She had light pink, full lips that mixed well with her sweet voice. Her height was just below average, not tall but certainly not tiny. She was lean, but still had the curves and shapes where needed. She was dressed in a tight dress. Besides being beautifully designed, it was obviously making her uncomfortable. And those eyes…

In one word; she was simply breathtaking.

By staring at her, he didn't notice how much time had already passed where he didn't say something. She must think he was some sort of freak by looking at her in silence.

He rubbed his eyes to wake himself up a bit. "I'm just a bit tired, that's all."

"That's okay, Mr. Agreste. A busy life such as yours must be tiring."

He caught himself staring at her again. By hearing her voice he could feel his heart beating faster and louder in his throat. He didn't know what in the world was happening to him, but god he didn't want it to stop.

He got off the bed. "I'm getting pretty tired of my life, that's for sure." She didn't get the tiny hint of sadness in his voice. "And please, I beg you, never call me Mr. Agreste again. I don't want people thinking I'm my father's son." He was smirking to show he meant it as joke, but still pressure the fact that she could just call him by his first name.

"Oh, of course. Adrien, right?"

He nodded.

"Well, okay then, Mr. Agr- A-Adrien."

"Close enough." He smiled and put out his hand for her to shake, warily. He wasn't the handshaking type.

"Oh right." She took his hand in return, but noticed his restraint. "Marinette. Marinette Dupain-Cheng."

He pulled her hand up to his lips and pressed a chaste kiss on it in a gentlemanly manner. "Nice to meet you, Marinette."

Her eyes widened in surprise at the gesture, but she didn't pull away. He was just as surprised as she was. This wasn't like him. What the hell was he doing?

He lowered her hand, but didn't release it. He trailed his fingers over her hand to her wrist to the bracelet she was wearing. He felt her shudder at the action.

The bracelet was made of different colored beads, a big green one in the middle with a flower pattern on it. It didn't match her formal and tight attire at all.

"That's my lucky charm bracelet," she answered his unasked question. "It looks a bit childish, I know. I made it a long time ago."

He looked up at her again, still not releasing her hand. "Where do you need luck for then?"

She gave him a confused look, like the answer was obvious.

He gave her one more look-over, only now processing that she was too formally dressed for a girl her age. She also had a big bag consisting of multiple books and papers by the looks of it.

She was here for an interview. With him.

Realization hit him in the face. "You're one of the designers! Of course, no wonder you're here."

She put her free hand to her mouth while she chuckled. "Did you think I was just a random stranger entering your room? Wouldn't that be a bit weird?"

"Right, of course. Silly me. But you have to admit, it's weird that you're here anyway. Aren't the interviews supposed to be downstairs?"

"They are, but there is a lot going on downstairs. Many people have arrived already. I overheard your father asking his assistant, I think Nathalie was her name, to fetch you but she already had a million things on her mind, at least that's what I thought, and-"

He grinned. "Being the kind person you are, you offered to get me."

"Exactly! I hope it's not weird to you, I was just being friendly. Even though she said yes, I don't think I was allowed to come here. She probably thought I was someone who worked here, I suppose. I'm not really used to these kind of happenings and people. In my family we're really open and social, so it's basically second nature to me to do these kind of things. It can get me trouble though, so if it makes you feel uncomfortable just tell me then I won't-"

She was talking faster and faster with every word she spoke, almost being incoherent. She gasped when he squeezed her hand he was still holding to shush her. She pressed her lips together without even finishing her sentence and the pink on her cheeks got more intense.

"You're quite the rambler, aren't you?"

The redness started to move to her ears. "Sorry. I'll shut up now."

"Please don't." It came out as a real plea, but he laughed afterwards to lighten the intensity of the sentence.

There was a short silence. He still didn't let go of her hand and he didn't mind his hand getting all clammy.

"S-shouldn't we go down?"

"No!"

His exclamation scared her and she released his grip. She gave him a bemused look.

"I want to stay here with you."

That made her even more confused.

"I-I mean, we're here already so let's just do the interview here. Show me your designs." He mentally winced at his awkwardness. He has never felt this way before. Why couldn't he speak normally?

"What about your father?"

He crossed his arms and had a stern face. "Screw him." He softened his face and showed a sweet smile. "Again, show me your designs."

He sat back down on his bed and tapped next to him for her to sit down. She complied and sat next to him, her shoulder brushing slightly against his. While it didn't seem to do much for her, it made his heart flutter a bit.

She grabbed one of the many books inside her bag and put it on his lap. "Just go through it. I hope there is something you'll like."

She put her hands between her legs and squished them together in nervousness. She was also rubbing her feet together and biting the inside of her cheek.

He noticed the nervousness the girl was showing. "You don't have to be nervous. I'm not my father." He put a hand on her leg to comfort her, also using it as an excuse to touch her.

"You're still his son."

"Which means I know when something is good, even though I'm not a designer." He let his hand slide off her leg instead of just removing it in one movement. He opened the sketchbook and flipped through it with a smile.

The designs were pretty good. Maybe not as good as his father's, but still pretty damn good. Especially considering she was really young, his age he assumed.

"Fond of cats and ladybugs I see?"

"Huh?"

"Your designs. I see a lot of red and black polka dots and cat ears."

She giggled. "Oh, that. Well, I just really like the color scheme and pattern of the ladybug. And cats are just cute."

"Yeah, cats are adorable. I've always wanted one, but my dad would never want that kind of 'monstrosity' in our house." He said the last part with a posh accent to mimic his father.

"I've never had a cat either, even though I really wanted one too. My parents were afraid it would eat everything down in the bakery."

He stared at her thoughtfully, the gears running in his head. Bakery she said…

"Oh my god, that's right!"

"What?"

"Your name." He smacked himself in the face, which amused her. "I already thought I recognized it. You're the daughter of that bakers couple, aren't you?"

"Well, I don't smell like cookies voluntarily." She laughed.

Her laugh was like music to his ears. He dared to lean towards her to smell her. Luckily, she didn't think it was weird and just laughed at him.

He pulled back with surprise written on his face. "Oh my, you weren't kidding. You actually smell like cookies."

"The smell of the bakery has been haunting me since forever," she joked.

He raised a brow. "I'm sure there are worse faiths than smelling like a bakery. For instance, being imprisoned in your own home." He put the sketchbook away and threw himself backwards to lie on his back. He sighed deeply.

Marinette didn't really know what to do. He was obviously upset, but she didn't know whether she should leave him with his thoughts or talk to him about it. She shouldn't be here anyway, so that was a good reason to leave. Then there was also the fact that she didn't know him, another reason to leave. It didn't feel right though. She followed her instincts. She put her bag down on the floor and went to lie on her back next to him. She could look around the room and only now she realized how big the room was and how much stuff there was. Wasn't it any kid's dream to have a room like this? Why wouldn't he be happy with a life like this?

He turned his head to her questioningly. She returned his gaze with a smile. "I may be a stranger to you, but you can talk to me about anything if you want to."

"You may be stranger to me, but I have a feeling I can tell you more than I could tell my dad."

"So you're not close, huh?"

"Nah, I'm mostly just his modeling-puppet. He's never been the emotional one, but he's been ice cold to me ever since mom disappeared.

"Disappeared?"

"Long story."

"Okay." She would never try to pry. She barely knew him. She was actually baffled by the fact that he was saying these things to her while lying with her on his bed. Not your average interview.

"Do you have any sad and depressing family stories for me?" He said it lightheartedly, but she could sense his own pain.

"Not really. I'm an only child, very loving and close family. Lots of friends at school too. Not much to complain. There will always be bullies, but I can manage."

"You've got a bully? What's his name?"

"Her name is Chloé, but it doesn't matter, really. It's not a big deal."

"Chloé you say? You mean Chloé Bourgeois?"

"Yup. Do you know her?"

He snorted. "Do I? She's basically the only social contact I have. I've grown up with her."

"I see. Poor you."

"To be honest, I'm not surprised. That she is my friend doesn't mean that's willingly. She is the only reason I come out of the house though. Without her little shopping trips I don't give a damn about, I would stay in this room forever."

"Wouldn't be such a pain though. I mean, look at all this stuff!"

"Yeah, I know. I'm a lucky guy, but a bit of fresh air every once in a while is a million times better than all of this."

"Then make a promise to yourself. Get out of the house at least once a week, on your own. You don't need that Chloé negativity around you." She scrunched her nose at the blonde's name.

He laughed. "That's not such a bad idea. Maybe I'll come visit your parent's bakery one day."

"That would be nice."

They ended up in blissful silence for a few minutes. It wasn't awkward at all. They were both just lying down, busy with their own thoughts. It was like they have known each other for years and that words weren't necessary to make being in each other's presence pleasant.

After a while they realized some time had passed and that they really should get down. Adrien turned to her with a half-smile. She got the message and got off the bed, him following suit. She grabbed her bag and they both went downstairs.

Adrien stopped midstep on the big stairs and gulped. So. Many. People.

"Are you okay?" She raised a brow.

"Y-yes. I'm fine. Let's just go."

She wasn't convinced, but she let it slide and followed him again. They descended from the stairs to the ground floor. The first person they came in contact with was Gabriel.

"Adrien, there you are. Where in the world have you been?"

"I'm sorry…"

His father eyed Marinette. "Who is this?"

She put her hand in front of her. "My name is-"

He didn't even bother to listen and turned to Adrien again. "We don't have time for your little friends, son. You know that we have work to do."

"Exactly, father! Marinette is one of the designers and I'm pretty sure if you would take a look at her sketches then-"

"She's merely an ignorant child with no experience of the real world. I doubt she has the needed skills."

"She's my age, you know?"

To Adrien's surprise his father gave him a smirk. "I know."

Adrien bit his lip in anger. Marinette looked at the two interacting, not sure of what to do.

"Nathalie!" Gabriel summoned the assistant. In a few seconds she was by his side. "Please make sure that miss Mandy-"

"Marinette," Adrien growled.

"-is escorted out of the building. She has no business being here anymore."

Seeing there wasn't much she could do, she followed the assistant towards the door without struggle. She heard Adrien call her name, but didn't see him anymore in the crowd.

Adrien stared at his father with a death glare and crossed arms.

"Come. There are a lot of people waiting for you."

He assumed Adrien would follow him, but the teen held his defiant stance and didn't move an inch. Gabriel sighed and walked back. He put a hand on Adrien's shoulder and squeezed it tightly as a threat.

"Don't make a scene."

"I can throw a tantrum. Roll on the floor yelling, you want that?"

He squeezed his shoulder tighter. "I don't like this attitude. You should know that not everything can go the way you want it to go, that's not how the world works. Now obey me or there will be consequences." He released his shoulder, but didn't leave until Adrien would say something or make a move.

Adrien internally huffed. Consequences his father said. What's the worst that could happen? Would he lock him up in his room? No problem with that. He was used to it anyway. He did think though that if his father never allowed him to leave the house, what could a real punishment be? He gulped. He did not want to find out.

He grumbled something under his breath before reluctantly passing his father and walking to the room where the interviews were being held. He rolled his eyes at his father's victorious smile.

The argument he had with his father distracted him from the crowd. Now that he was sitting and looking around, he noticed how many people there actually were. Damnit, he felt his breathing quicken and getting unsteady.

He tried to listen to everyone, he really did, but it was just so hard to keep his attention. Luckily, there was a huge turn up, so every designer only had three minutes to introduce themselves and show their skills. Because of the short amount of time, Adrien didn't even have to start a conversation, which he didn't mind at all. His father wasn't one to be easily pleased either. If there was one thing the man didn't like about someone he sent them away even if their three minutes weren't over yet.

There were probably a lot of people who would be perfect for the job. Who he could get along with and who he could have fun with. But he couldn't remember anyone he talked to. Not a single name, face or design. His mind was lingering on one person only.

He had seen it in movies and tv shows. He read in books. He heard it in songs. But he never thought it could actually happen. And he definitely never thought it would happen to him.

It was love at first sight. At least, to him. He didn't know about her. One single glance, one short conversation and he couldn't stop thinking about her. He had fallen in love with a complete stranger.

He was thinking it might be his teenage hormones playing games with his mind. Maybe he just thought she was pretty, but his head exaggerated his feelings.

But deep down he knew that wasn't true. He wasn't a people-person and he always struggled with small talk, but with her it was so easy. He said things to her he hadn't even told Nino or Chloé.

Either way, it didn't matter. He wanted to see her again. He wanted to talk to her again. He wanted her.

oOo

It was a long day. So many people. Too many people for that matter. But it was over, finally. His father was still discussing a lot of things with him and Nathalie, but he didn't bother to listen. Whoever he would pick, it wouldn't be Marinette.

"Adrien, are you even listening?"

He did hear that. "Nope."

Gabriel pinched the bridge of his nose. "Enough with this nonsense already. You agreed to all of this, so whether you like it or not, you will participate and you will make a choice."

"I already made my choice."

"You mean that little girl? She was hardly a competent designer, you could just see that."

"If you would have given her a chance then you would know you're wrong."

Gabriel sighed deeply and was silent for a few seconds. "Go to your room."

"What?" He asked confused. "I thought you wanted me to 'participate'." He was obviously mocking him.

"I tire of your behavior. Just go to your room. You can return when you feel like you can act properly again."

Adrien pouted, but still complied. He went to his bedroom and dropped himself on his bed. It was then that he felt something under his foot. He lifted it to check the object and he gasped in surprise.

Marinette's sketchbook. It was accidentally left here.

An idea popped up in his head. He grabbed the book and hollered down the stairs, almost tripping and risking his very own life. He entered the meeting room again, panting.

"Back so soon? You obviously didn't really think about your mistakes, did you?"

He could grab his father by the throat. He hated when he got like this. He countered him with some sass of himself and threw the sketchbook on the table with a smile. "Open it."

Gabriel eyed him warily, but still did as he was told to. He flipped though some pages and to Adrien's surprise his father's eyes lit up by looking at the content. He could maybe even spot a slight smile.

"Impressive."

"Told you she was good."

"These are that girl's designs?"

"These are Marinette's designs, yes."

Silence. Gabriel was obviously thinking this through. Adrien really hoped his actions had the desired effect.

"You seem very fond of this girl."

He slightly blushed at that. "W-what? I just, ehm, like her designs and she seems very nice. That's all."

Yet again silence. Again for Gabriel to think.

"Very well. You may contact her and bring her the good news."

Adrien already bounced in excitement.

"But only tomorrow morning. Rest now."

Adrien smiled and nodded. "Thank you, father." He turned around to leave the room and go to sleep, but his father's voice made him turn back.

"And Adrien.."

He looked at him with anticipation.

"Don't let your… emotions get in the way of the task at hand. There is a job that needs to be done."

He understood the implication. "Yes, father. Good night."

He went to bed straight away. He had his eyes closed and was curled up in the blankets with a content smile. He was going to call her tomorrow. He would hear her voice again. He would maybe even see her again. Just thinking about her brought a big smile on his face. He felt utter happiness.

A happiness he hadn't felt for a long time.

oOo

"I'm telling you, Alya. He was totally flirting with me!"

"Yeah right, Adrien Agreste, son of famous designer Gabriel Agreste, flirting with you?"

Marinette could see her eye roll. "You make it sound like it's a crime…"

"You know that's not what I mean. I'm just saying, it sounds a bit unbelievable."

"But it's the truth! He was kissing my hand and holding it for way too long. And we had a pretty good conversation."

"Maybe the hand holding and kissing was just the gentleman in him. You know, doesn't he do that to most girls, like everyday?"

"Not according to him. He's mostly cooped up in his house. I have a feeling he has social anxiety or something like that."

Alya raised an eyebrow. "You have a feeling?"

"Well, he never actually told me, but since he was almost shaking when we entered the crowd it wasn't that hard to guess."

"So, you can already read his body language? When is the wedding?!" Alya batted her eyelashes and then started to laugh loudly.

Marinette poked her forehead in annoyance. "Stop it." She still had to laugh though.

"Hey, you were the one being head over heels about him."

"I'm so not! I'm not the type to just go out with random people. If he would ask me out I would say no."

"Really? Rejecting a model? Most people would call you crazy. I thought you said he was nice?"

"He is, but we just met. If I would get to know him better…"

Alya gave her a knowing smirk.

"What?! He's pretty cute, okay?"

Alya rolled her eyes. "Why don't you call or text him then?"

"I don't have his number and I doubt he will think about calling me. It was just one of those moments, you know? You see a person, talk to them and then you'll never see them again."

Alya nodded in agreement. "Almost sounds like a movie. Quite a bummer though. He would probably be great boyfriend material, plus if you would have been chosen from the designers you would have had the opportunity to dress him on multiple occasions. See him naked…" She wiggled her eyebrow suggestively.

"Alya!"

"What? C'mon, you're seventeen, girl. There is no shame in thinking about those things. Nino and I have seen each other naked multiple times. It's natural. You just get in the moment and things heaten up and before you know it you-"

She shook her head. "One, please don't go into on more detail, and two, of course you guys have seen each other like that, you've been together for years. But I literally met Adrien yesterday, and you're acting like he's the love of my life."

"You know I'm just messing with you. But do take my advice, if you like the guy, just go for it. There is no problem with fooling around while looking for Mr. Right."

"You're just saying that because you already found him. But you're not wrong about one thing, I'm only seventeen. If I don't want to spend my time like that, I won't."

"Gotta give you that. But what would you do if your golden haired prince would be at the front door. Would you go with him?"

"Ha, like that's gonna happen."

Both girls laughed. It was then that her mother, Sabine, entered her room.

"Hello, Sabine," Alya greeted.

"Afternoon, girls."

"What the matter, mom? Do you need some help in the bakery?"

"Not really, but funny you mention that. There is someone who asked for you. He wanted to see you. He's waiting for you down in the bakery."

Marinette looked at her mother in confusion. Who would want to see her? What concerned her the most though was the look on her mother's face. It was smug and happy, like she knew something Marinette didn't.

"...Okay, I'll come down then. Alya, you coming?"

"Sure."

The three went down the stairs and left the upper apartment to enter the bakery through the back. She looked around the room to find the person looking for her. Marinette eventually saw Adrien standing with a big, broad man, most likely his bodyguard, near the door.

"Adrien?"

Adrien turned to Marinette. She was wearing her pigtails again, but now her outfit was different. It was a white shirt with flowers on it. She wore a jacket over it combined with pink pants and pink shoes. Her whole outfit matched, which was no surprise to him. She looked even more beautiful now that she was in comfortable clothing instead of that suffocating dress.

"He's totally checking you out," Alya whispered in Marinette's ear. Marinette had to admit she was right, his eyes were literally going up and down while aimed at her. He was definitely checking her out, which made her blush a tiny bit.

He took a step closer to her. "Hello, Marinette." He grabbed her hand and planted a soft kiss on it. He had already done it once and she didn't seem to mind then, so why not do it again?

Marinette quickly eyed Alya and her mother who were just looking at the scene with big eyes. She was so glad her father was in the back, otherwise he would have thrown Adrien on the street. Her father was a kind man, but very protective of his daughter.

Alya looked at the boy with wary eyes. Marinette wasn't kidding, the way he looked at her and grasped her hand. This boy was totally hitting on her.

He again didn't let go of her hand immediately, so she retreated it herself and balled a fist, pushing it against her chest. "What brings you here?"

His other hand that was behind his back came in sight and was holding a book. Her sketchbook.

"You left it yesterday. Thought I should give it back. After all, you were the one that said I should get out of the house."

She happily took the book. "I meant alone. Not with…" She gestured with her head towards the bodyguard.

He waved it off. "Don't mind him. He's literally everywhere I go, after a while you'll stop noticing him."

Marinette nodded. There was a silence where both didn't know what to say anymore. Marinette could feel the eyes of the two other women in the room burning holes in her back.

"So, that's all? You came all the way here to return my sketchbook?"

"Well, I actually wanted to call you, but then I realized I didn't have your number. But it's way more fun to say it face-to-face."

"What's more fun?"

"Here." He handed her and envelope that he pulled out of his pocket.

Marinette opened the envelope and retrieved a letter. It looked very fancy and was calligraphed. She read the letter carefully, word for word, and her eyes became bigger every second she read more of it. She gasped when she reached the end.

"Are you serious?!"

He smiled at her reaction. "It would be an honor."

"What does it say?" Alya ripped the letter from Marinette's hands and started to read it herself, Sabine looking over her shoulder to read as well.

"So you're not messing with me? I'm actually allowed to come back?"

"Yes. Next week if that's okay with you."

"Yeah, yes, of course. Next week would be great. Awesome!" She couldn't contain her excitement and started to jump up and down.

Alya and her mother finished the letter too. Sabine embraced her daughter from the back. "Honey, that's amazing!"

Adrien looked at the girl walking towards him. He immediately recognized her as Nino's girlfriend, someone who his friend couldn't shut up about. Even though it was sometimes annoying, it was pretty endearing.

Alya poked his chest. "Looks like my friend will be dressing you." She noticed him clenching his fingers at her touch and she retreated her finger. She remembered Marinette saying he didn't like people that much.

He gazed past Alya at Marinette who was talking excitedly with her mother, not noticing the conversation he was having with Alya. "Yeah, I guess so."

"She's really good, you know? She's been wanting an opportunity like this for years."

He laughed awkwardly. "Well, if I didn't think she was good I wouldn't have picked her."

"That's the only reason you picked her?" She gave him a smirk.

He started to turn red. "She's nice too, and I rather have her dressing me than some forty-year-old man."

"And?" She used her hand for him to continue.

He bit his lip and looked the other way. "What are you implying?"

She sighed. "Dude, just admit that you like her, it'll make things a lot easier."

He crossed his arms. "Tch, we met yesterday."

"That's not an answer." She used a serious tone. He stared at her without saying a thing. Alya shook her head and rolled her eyes. "I'll ask the question again in a few weeks, when you have 'got to know her'."

He wanted to say something in return, but got interrupted by Marinette and her mother.

"Thank you, Adrien, thank you so much! I won't let you down."

He smiled at her. "I doubt you will."

"Let's celebrate it together! Adrien, do you want to stay for dinner? Alya is staying too and another one of Marinette's friends is coming over. It will be a big party!" Sabine offered.

Adrien gulped at the word party. Marinette noticed this and gave him a look and hand movement to show him it was okay and that he had to calm down. Her soothing look actually made him at ease.

"That's very nice of you to offer, but I don't want to intrude…"

"Oh, I'm such a bad person. I didn't even introduce myself! I'm Marinette's mother, but please call me Sabine." She wanted to give him her hand, but Marinette quickly tapped it away, knowing he would probably dislike shaking it.

"Nice to meet you. And you too, Alya." He eyed her and she smiled and nodded in return.

"I know it's a bit out of the blue, but we really wouldn't mind you staying here. It would also give you two the opportunity to get to know each other!" Sabine beamed. "So, you want to stay for dinner, sweetheart?"

Sweetheart. He hadn't been called that in a long time. Even though he didn't know anything about the woman he already knew she was a kind soul, she reminded him of his mother.

She was right though. It would be a great chance to learn more about Marinette. And to be frank, he wouldn't mind spending more time with her. He would never say that out loud though.

He held his chin in thought. "I suppose you're right." He walked to his bodyguard and whispered something in his ear. The big man nodded and walked out of the bakery. "So, that's taken care of."

"You're allowed to send your bodyguard away? Isn't the whole point of a bodyguard that he stays with you no matter what?" Alya questioned.

"He likes me, so he let's me off the hook lots of times."

"Well, if that's the case, come up, please!" Sabine said and she walked upstairs, assuming the other three would follow her.

When he entered the apartment it was not that different from what he expected. It was very cosy and he probably felt more at home here then at his own house. Even though the apartment was not as big as his house, not nearly, he would much rather spend his time here any day than at his place. He was wondering if he could maybe come here instead of Marinette coming to his place when they needed to try out designs.

"It's not the luxury you're used to, but please make yourself at home," Marinette said with a smile.

Alya and Marinette went to another stairway which probably led to Marinette's room he assumed. He stared at Sabine in bewilderment who gave him a reassuring smile. He walked up the stairs and entered the pink bedroom.

It was a cute room. Pretty girly and lots of pink, but not a cliché girls room. He looked at the tiny decorations scattered around the room, like pictures of her with her friends. He was looking at one person particularly and it wasn't her. He smiled at the frame.

"What is it?" Marinette asked who had sat down on her desk chair.

"I already thought you were friends with Nino."

"How do you know Nino?" Alya asked with slitted eyes.

Adrien laughed. "Only because he's like my best friend. I know a lot about him, about you too." He pointed at Alya.

"Me?"

"Yes, I know you're his girlfriend. The guy can't shut up about you."

Alya was now towering above him. "Really now? What did he say about me? I want all the deets!"

He fake-zipped his mouth. "No can do."

"What, you have some lame bro-code?" Marinette teased.

"You could say that."

"Bummer," Alya grumbled and crossed her arms.

"Don't worry, no nasty stuff has been said. He loves you a lot."

Alya's smile returned. "Good."

"How did you and Nino meet anyway?" Marinette asked.

"I might have snuck out of the house a few years ago and accidentally met him. We became friends right away and have been talking ever since. It's a shame though that the only way we can see each other is through a computer screen. My dad can't know we are friends, so please don't mention Nino to him. That's probably the reason Nino didn't tell you about me."

"Secret friendship, huh? When was the last time you've seen him?" Alya asked.

"When we met, I was twelve, and when we were fifteen. I said to my father I wanted to go to the movies, but eventually ran off and met him at his house."

"That's so sad that you can never see each other," Alya said with a pitiful smile.

"Well, that's about to change. Guess who is coming over for dinner?" Marinette spoke with a smile.

"Oh my god, really? He is the other friend?" Adrien's eyes lit up.

"Yup, he'll probably be here in about-"

"Marinette, Nino is here!" Came from downstairs.

"-right now," Marinette finished. "Thanks, mom. Send him up!"

"Hold on," Alya said and pushed Adrien behind Marinette's little sofa. "It's no fun if it's not a surprise."

Adrien was hunched behind the chaise when Nino entered the bedroom. "Hey."

Alya walked to him and he leaned in for a kiss, but Alya covered his mouth. "Kissy-time later. First, close your eyes. We've got a surprise for you."

Even though he was really confused, he closed his eyes anyway. Alya released his face and gestured for Adrien to come out. Adrien walked in front of Nino with a smirk, thinking of how he should acknowledge himself. Alya stepped away to give the boy space for whatever he was up to. Adrien walked thoughtfully in a circle around his friend.

"Okay, those footsteps are way to heavy to be any of you guys. Who's there?" Nino asked.

Adrien laughed. "Guess."

He could recognize that voice any day. He opened his eyes and came face to face with Adrien. "Dude!"

"Surprise!"

They hugged. Both Marinette and Alya looked at the boys with their chin in their palms. "Ahw!" they cooed.

They released their embrace. "Okay, that made this awkward," Nino joked. "But it's so good to see you, man. Why are you here?"

"I was giving Marinette the good news that she will be the new designer dressing me for my next shows. They asked me to stay for dinner."

"Oh, congrats," he said to Marinette. "Woah wait, you and staying at someone's else place for dinner? Are you well?" Nino laughed.

"So, I was right! You don't like other people."

Adrien turned to Marinette. "Pardon?"

"I-I mean, I noticed how you were around other people. You seem very anxious around them."

He scratched his neck. "Yeah…"

"Isn't it kind of ironic though? I mean, you're a model."

Adrien nodded at Alya's comment. "I know, but it's different. On stage you're blinded by the light and I can sort block all the people out. Talking is just hard."

"You talked to me," Alya countered.

"Yeah, but I know a lot about you because of Nino. It's like I've known you for years."

"And me?" Marinette asked.

"Well…" He noticed Alya's look, but tried to ignore it. "I remember Nino dropping your name too over the past years, but not as much as Alya's. You were still a stranger to me, but maybe because we had something to talk about, the designs and stuff, it was easier. I don't know."

He knew damn well why he could easily talk to her, but he did not want to weird her out. He was going to keep his mouth shut for as long as he could. But that didn't mean he couldn't flirt with her a little bit.

"Makes sense," Marinette agreed.

"Speaking of designs, show him what you showed me before he came. You know, the jacket?"

Marinette shook her head and turned red in embarrassment. "No, it's not nearly finished."

"C'mon, Marinette. I thought you wanted to get to a higher level? You won't if you chicken out by every chance you get to show your designs." Alya grabbed the jacket from the closet where she knew it was there.

"I know, but…" She felt Adrien put a hand on her shoulder.

"Like I said yesterday, I'm not my father. I'm sure that it'll be amazing." He came a bit closer and was staring at her eyes now. Her beautiful, gorgeous eyes he could get lost in forever.

She stared back at his, but with less intensity. His eyes were very bright. They showed kindness and were incredibly sweet. That wasn't the only thing she saw, she saw some sadness, like he was broken. She just felt like he needed a hug, she pitied him. The way he looked at her was with so much intensity and emotion, but she couldn't quite grasp what he was thinking. She felt the warmth of his hand on her shoulder and she didn't know how to feel about that.

Nino looked at the two with a raised brow. "Uhm…"

Alya went to stand next to him and rolled her eyes. "I know." She coughed to get their attention.

Adrien aimed his gaze at Alya. "Okay, hand me the jacket."

Alya gave it him carefully. Marinette was right, it wasn't completely finished. She didn't want to ruin it so she was extra careful.

He studied the jacket with a pleased smile. It was a feminine jacket. It was white with gray accents. It was tight at the shoulder area and fell loose near the waist.

"Ouch!"

"Oh, watch out! There are still some pins stuck in it," Marinette warned.

Adrien sucked on his finger. "You tell me now. Is it your size?"

"Yeah, I used myself as a reference."

He wiggled his finger for her to turn around. She removed her own jacket and positioned herself as he wished. Her arms went through the sleeves and he made sure the pins didn't touch her skin. When it was fully on he straightened it and rested his hands on her shoulders. He softly squeezed them.

That son of a bitch. He was still totally flirting with her. She definitely felt that. She couldn't see his face, but she could feel the smug grin. To be honest, she kind of liked the attention, though she wasn't sure yet how to feel about him giving her that attention. After all, they only met a day ago.

If he wanted to play that game though, she would happily play along.

She quickly tapped his hands of her shoulders in a scolding way, so fast Nino and Alya didn't notice. She turned around with a twirl and narrowed her eyes at him playfully.

She noticed. She noticed his behavior. And she acted on to it! The way she looked at him could make him melt. Did that mean she liked him? Did she feel the same way about him as he did about her?

"So, what do you think?" She spun once more.

"Looking fly," Nino said and gave a thumbs up.

Alya hummed in agreement. "You rock that. I can't wait for that to be finished."

How he wanted to give her so much compliments about how she looked. And not the jacket, her. He restrained himself.

"If it's finished you should definitely wear that next week. And don't be afraid to tell my dad that you made this, it'll only work in your favor."

"I hope it's finished by then. It wouldn't hurt to show him something else except for sketches." She took off the jacket and placed it back in the closet where it was. She put on her own jacket again.

They all sniffed the air in the room when a delightful smell entered it.

"Smells like dinner is ready," Alya said and inhaled deeply once more.

"I suppose," Marinette said in return and walked down her stairs. The other three followed her.

Plates were being put on the table by Tom.

"Smells delicious, dad. What is it?"

"Baked Camembert with some bread and salmon."

"Wow, fancy," Alya said.

"You kids enjoy yourselves. Your mother is in the bakery, it's crazy down there. I'll help her out a bit before we close off and leave. It's been a while since we've been out, so you have the whole house to yourselves."

Marinette kissed him on the cheek. "Sure, dad. Have fun."

"You too, darling." He noticed Adrien. "Haven't seen you before. Always nice to meet a new face. I'm Tom." Before he could protest, the big man shook his hand thoroughly.

"A-Adrien." He was still a bit disordered by the man's shake.

"Nice to meet you, Adrien. I heard my wife talk about that fashion design contest. My little Marinette was really one of the best, huh?"

"She sure was."

"Of course she is. My baby girl has the skills of a real fashion designer. One day her name will be on billboards all over the city. People will chant her name. Models will be lining up to wear her clothes-"

"That's enough, Papa. See you tonight. Bye!" She nudged her father to the door.

He waved one last time before disappearing through the door.

"And that's my dad. Now you've met the whole gang." Marinette sighed and grabbed a few glasses from the cabinet.

"He seems nice. Both you parents," Adrien commented and sat down at the table with Alya and Nino. Nino was sitting next to him and Alya across of Nino so Marinette would be sitting across of him.

Marinette had filled up the glasses with some juice and put them on the table. She eventually sat down herself. "They're the sweetest. I couldn't have wished for better parents, though they enjoy embarrassing me in front of friends or anyone for that matter."

Alya laughed. "My parents are exactly the same. My dad is like the master at dad-jokes. He prefers to use them in front of Nino." She took a bite from her food.

"Your old man is the best. He is literally the only adult that wants to play video games with me."

"Don't say that," Adrien said. "What about your mother? Last time I was at your place we played a zombie game with her and your little brother. I have never ever seen a grown up woman mess up zombie skulls so badly. She's a pro."

Nino sighed. "That was two years ago, she got a new job now. She doesn't really have the time anymore for that kind of stuff."

Adrien's smile turned into a scowl. "That's too bad. But that doesn't take away how sweet she was to me. I've been at your house once and she already treated me like I was her son."

"Only when she likes the person. When she doesn't like someone it's quite noticeable."

The group went back to eating. While Alya, Nino and Marinette chatted with each other, Adrien was pretty stiff and ate in silence.

Marinette frowned at him and nudged his leg with her foot. He looked up in surprise. "You okay? You're pretty silent. Is it all too talky for you?" She spoke softly.

He rolled his eyes. "I'm fine, really. It's not like I'm incapable of social contact, you know?"

"I get that, but still. If there is anything wrong you can just tell me, okay?"

He nodded and went back to eating, secretly stealing glances at her.


	2. When I Felt You

A week. A whole week! He hadn't seen or spoken to her for a week. Today she would be here. He has been counting the days. He was tired from the sleepless nights, dark circles under his eyes. Nothing a bit of makeup couldn't cover up.

He was getting ready, doing everything at once. His black shirt was still unbuttoned, his jeans missing the belt and he had one sock on while deciding which pair of shoes to wear.

His computer screen lit up and a ringtone was heard. A video-chat call from Nino. He pressed a button quickly and went back to what he was doing.

"Waddup, bro."

"Hey," Adrien answered absentmindedly. His black Nike sneakers or his orange Converse?

"Whatcha doing?"

"Deciding what to wear." He held up a shoe from either pair. "Which one?"

"Dude, you're asking me?"

"I just need advice. So, which one?"

Nino sighed. "Depends, what are you going to do today?"

"Marinette will be coming over today to work out all the details." He had put down the shoes on his desk and put on his other sock.

"Oh. I see."

Adrien could not ignore the smirk that was given and rolled his eyes. "Black or orange?"

"Orange, too much black is way too formal."

He tightened his belt around his pants. "Okay, thanks."

"You're making quite the effort of looking good for Marinette."

"It's not for Marinette, it's business. Still, I don't want to look as stiff as my dad, because it's just Marinette."

"Whatever you say. I have to admit though that Marinette will probably try to impress you. Haven't seen her act like this with someone before."

He was halfway with buttoning his shirt when he stopped. "What did you say?"

Nino laughed. "Dude, you should have seen the look on your face! Priceless."

Adrien grumbled and turned his back to the screen to hide his red cheeks. He continued with his shirt.

"But seriously, just ask her out already. You haven't been yourself around her either."

He turned back to the screen and grabbed the shoes Nino picked for him. "What do you mean?"

"You're like way too social with her. It took you at least an hour before you even spoke to my mom, while you were getting all buddy-buddy with Marinette and it hadn't even been a day."

"I had the same thing with you too, right?" He tied his shoes.

"That's just because I'm likeable."

"So is Marinette. Whatever you're saying is going on, it's not. It's all professional and business."

"Says the guy who kissed her hand."

He jumped up and almost dived into the screen. "WHAT?! Who told you that? Alya?"

"You're getting quite worked up about it." Nino grinned evilly.

He huffed. "I'm not. Who said it's true anyway? I'm not confirming it."

"You're not denying it either."

Adrien sighed and shook his head. "Gotta go. My dad's calling me."

"Right, I'll buy that."

He shook his head again. "See ya, Nino."

Nino stuck out his tongue before ending the call.

Adrien was not going to confirm his 'crush', as he called it, to anyone before he knew for sure what Marinette thought of him. No one, not even Marinette. Especially Marinette.

He walked to the dining room for breakfast, still putting his shirt in his jeans. "Good morning," he greeted. He wasn't even sure if anyone was there. To his surprise, his father was sitting at the table. Most of the time he wasn't there during breakfast.

"Good morning, Adrien."

A proper greeting. And his dad seemed quite… cheery. What was up with him?

He sat in the chair across of his father. "What are you doing here?"

"Having breakfast, what else?"

Acting like this wasn't strange at all, real classic. Adrien ate the bread that was already on the plate in front of him.

"You're looking happy."

"You're looking tired."

"I'm fine."

Gabriel sighed and started to eat again. Adrien mourned the loss of his father's peppy behavior. Even if their relationship wasn't the best, they shouldn't always be grumpy towards each other he thought.

Adrien gave his father multiple glances, wanting to start a conversation again but not sure of what to say.

Gabriel got the hint of his son's glances. "Are you ready for today?"

Adrien nodded with a piece of bread in his mouth. "Ready as I'll ever be."

"Please, don't talk with your mouth full, son."

Adrien playfully chewed with his mouth open a few times before chewing normally again. His father shook his head and went back to eating. Adrien was completely baffled by the slight smile he earned.

A genuine smile hadn't been seen from Gabriel for a long time, not ever since his wife disappeared. It reminded Adrien of the good old times. His father was always stern in comparison with his mother, but he always played with Adrien or read him stories. They used to have lots of fun.

An idea popped into his head. He was going to do something he hadn't done in a long time. His gaze landed on his father's food. A piece of Camembert cheese was on his plate, still untouched.

He snatched it right in front of his face and put it in his mouth. After swallowing he grinned widely, awaiting his dad's reaction. He used to do this all the time when he was little. It always ended up with Adrien being chased down the hallway by his parents.

Gabriel first had a look of surprise and utter disbelief, but it soon turned into a smile. He opened his mouth to say something.

"Sir," Nathalie interrupted, entering the room. "Miss Marinette is waiting down in the hall."

Adrien looked at his watch. "She is early."

Gabriel got up from his seat. "No, you were just late. Maybe you wouldn't have the need to sleep in if you would sleep earlier. Please, sleep better tonight."

Adrien could hear the concern in his father's voice. He was actually quite happy with the fact that his father noticed he didn't sleep well. Maybe there was some part of how he used to be still inside him. He nodded. "I'll try."

"Good. Now stay here, l'll be back with Marinette in a minute." He ruffled Adrien's hair before leaving the room with Nathalie.

Adrien fixed his hair and smiled at his father's antics. He really hoped his father would stay in this mood.

The anticipation was too much. He knew Marinette was in the other room behind him and he was just sitting here. When the one minute his father talked about turned into three, Adrien got up from his spot and went for the hall.

There she was, talking with his father and Nathalie. She was wearing dark blue jeans and black kitten heels. She wore her white jacket, it was finished now. He forgot how good she looked in that jacket. She had dark eyeshadow and eyeliner, but still managed to look natural. She was also wearing bright red lip stick.

What was the most remarkable though was her hair. It was loose except for a few strands that were put back by a little hair clip in the shape of a black cat near her left ear. Her hair fell just on her shoulders, like he assumed.

"Wow."

The other three in the room turned his gaze towards him.

Oh no. Did he say that out loud? What was he supposed to do now, tell her that she looked liked a goddess? It was the truth, he really thought that, but he couldn't say that to her. At least not yet.

"I-I- you, I mean, you is beautiful- I MEAN, you're looking hot- PRETTY today. Hey, is that the jacket? Look father, I don't know if she told you yet, but she made this jacket herself. Pretty awesome, right?" Hopefully the rambling took their attention away from what he was actually saying.

Gabriel circled around her to judge the jacket. "It looks pretty decent. How long did it take you?"

"A few weeks, but only because I don't have a lot of free time. I only work on my designs after school." She held a confident stance and looked the man straight in the eyes. "That doesn't mean though I won't have time for all of this, I'll make time if necessary. I'm very serious about this."

"Good, that's exactly what we need. Come further." He gestured for her to follow him. Nathalie walked next to him while Marinette and Adrien trailed behind.

"Nervous?" Adrien asked.

"Nah, I'm good actually. I thought I would freak out, but I'm doing okay," she whispered back.

"That's nice to hear. I don't want you to be nervous. Everything will be fine."

They entered Gabriel's office. He went to sit behind his desk, Nathalie standing by his side. Adrien and Marinette sat in the chairs across of him.

"So, I suppose you have what you need."

"I do." She tapped one of the two bags she brought. "These are the clothes I needed to bring." She opened the other bag and took out one of her many sketchbooks. This one looked quite new. "And I took the liberty of designing some stuff before hand. I would like to have your opinion." She flipped to a certain page and handed the man the book.

"I'll take a good look at it. Adrien, why don't you go to your room to try on the clothing pieces in the meantime. Marinette will join you later."

Marinette nodded without emotion while Adrien's breath hitched at the thought of being undressed in the same room as Marinette. He mumbled a soft okay before getting up and going to his room.

He looked at the content of the bag. Multiple clothing pieces, very plain and simple. He remembered his father mentioning something about Marinette having to design a few things beforehand. He would have to try them on, but still wasn't sure why. He just followed the orders he got.

He heard his door click and Marinette entered the room.

Silence. He fiddled with his hands and she held her bag tightly to her side.

"So, you remember this place, right?" He said, breaking the silence and hoping to start a conversation.

She laughed. "Yeah, I do. Such a nice room as yours is hard to forget."

"Oh, please. Your room is a lot nicer. Mine is so empty and hollow. Yours is, I don't know. It just makes me feel more at home?"

"More at home, you say? I didn't know pink was your color."

"Shut up." He swiped his hand at her.

"I'm sorry they're not perfect," She pointed to the bag with her clothes. "I didn't have much time last week. I worked my ass off to get everything finished. I did what I could with your measurements."

He raised a brow. "How did you get my measurements?"

"They were on an extra note with the letter."

"Really? I need to give my dad a lecture about giving my measurements to people."

She chuckled again, a wonderful sound to his ears. "It's just me, I promise I won't give them to random people." She put a hand to her chest to show her sincerity. "Now, put them on. I want to see if it fits well or not. I have a feeling the pants are too big."

"Right." He held the button-up tightly.

She noticed his hesitation. "If you want me to turn around or leave the room, just say so. I understand if it's uncomfortable."

"No, no. It's fine. I need to get used to it anyway." His hesitation was immediately gone and he changed shirts. It was a perfect fit.

The clothes she brought were just test objects. They didn't need to be perfect, it was mostly to see if the measurements that were given were right and to see if Adrien and Marinette worked well together.

At last he had to try on the pants. He was shirtless so the pants were on good vision for her. He fiddled with the zipper, not able to pull it up.

She was waiting for him to ask for help, but since he kept on messing with the zipper he was obviously not going to do that. She walked to him with an eye roll and took the zipper in her hands. It didn't quite work how she wanted it to either. "Fucking annoying thing," she mumbled.

He bit his lip and held his chin up with his eyes squeezed closed. She was so close and so… low. A lot of thoughts went through his mind, thoughts he shouldn't have. She was here to do her job, so was he. He could restrain himself, right?

Well, apparently he couldn't. He dared to look down to see if there was any progress with the zipper. He could smell her irresistible, natural cookie smell. Her face was flustered from effort, she groaned slightly and her moving hands were so close to his- oh, and how that red lipstick made her lips so kissable.

He couldn't do it anymore. Whatever his father said, he didn't care. And whatever his own brain was saying, he didn't care either. He wanted her, right now.

His hands went to her face to caress both sides. He pulled her up slightly so they were at equal height. She had a look of surprise on her face and he could feel her breath quicken.

"Adrien?"

His response was an intense kiss, one he had been longing for ever since they met. His hands moved to the back of her neck and her back to push her closer. She hadn't responded yet, except for a squeek, probably too flabbergasted to do anything. He kissed her in a steady rhythm, still keeping it as intense and dominant as it was.

This wasn't his plan at all. He wanted to wait, to see if she had the same feelings for him before actually trying something. Innocent flirting was one thing, tasting her lips another.

After some time he felt her hand clutch to his pants to pull herself up a bit and the other resting on his bare stomach. She joined him in his rhythm, gasping every time he pulled her closer and deepened the kiss. He bit her bottom lip during a kiss, but soon used his tongue to soothe the spot. He also used it as an invitation to go deeper. She took it and went deeper herself, their tongues now circling around each other.

Even if he had initiated the kiss, she returned it quite aggressively herself. She mumbled something, he wasn't sure if it was a plea to stop or to go on. She tightened her grip on the edge of his pants and he felt the nails of her other hand dig into his skin, so he assumed they were mumblings of pleasure.

He released her mouth and kissed her cheeks softly, moving down to her chin, her jaw and her neck. His hand was moving up and down her back, gently and slowly. It caused her jacket to drop a bit and exposed one of her shoulders.

Happily doing his job on the newfound skin, he got a bit more rough and bit into it, hoping it was soft and pleasurable for her. She moaned, but it was one of disapproval. He went back to her neck to pepper her with kisses there to show he was sorry.

He felt her breath in his ear. Her soft lips soon touched it and he was preparing himself for whatever she was going to do. She bit into his earlobe, quite harsh. That hurt pretty badly. He grunted in pain, but was holding in a laugh as well. He deserved that and he quite expected it.

He dipped down again back to her lips. Her hand trailed a pattern on his stomach softly and eventually went down to hold onto his pants as well.

They slowed down to passionate kisses, later becoming more chaste and eventually it was more like their lips were softly touching every few seconds.

The hand that was playing with the hairs in the nape of her neck went to her face and he removed a few wild strands. He gave her a smile, hoping she would return it. She didn't. Her face was still a bit flustered and her lips swollen from the kissing. She kept staring at him, no emotion in her eyes and her hands still around his pants. Their faces were still really close, they could feel each other's breaths.

"Just as I expected," she said softly after a moment of silence and unsteady breaths.

"What?"

"The pants. They're too loose."

He lifted his brows. Was she for real? She bit her lip and was obviously trying to hide her smirk. She let go of him and turned away to pack the other clothing pieces he had already tried on. The moment was quite gone anyway, so he let himself burst out into big laughter.

He stopped his laughing, but couldn't keep a serious tone. "You're gonna ignore me now?" He walked to her to re-adjust her jacket from the back, the shoulder part was still halfway down her arm.

She acted like nothing happened. In some way it was amusing to him, but also concerning. What did she feel? She kissed him back, but did she regret it? If he would kiss her again, would she allow it?

There was only one way to find out. He held her by her hips from behind and moved his head down to the side of hers to plant a kiss on her cheek. Her hands went on top of his and she pulled his away swiftly.

"Okay then," was his response.

She turned around and looked him in the eyes with a serious look.

"Let me explain this for you. You're cute, very cute. But I take this really seriously, I don't want to ruin my maybe one chance at getting my dream job by some fling."

He dared to smirk. "A fling? What if it's more?"

She huffed. "I doubt it."

He nodded, but still looked a little sad. Did she really think that their relationship, if he could even call it that, could never grow into something more?

"What if you're wrong?" He asked softly.

"Well, we'll never find out, because I don't want to risk it. This-" She pointed her finger between them. "-doesn't exist."

"If you really feel that way, then I'll respect that." He put a hand to his heart.

"Thank you. I just want things to say professional, you know? We can perhaps become friends, but I don't want anything more, okay?"

He nodded.

"Good. Now, take off your pants."

He snickered. "You do know how that sounds, right?"

She facepalmed. "You know what I mean. Just do it already."

"As M'Lady wishes." He started to undo his pants. He glanced at her quickly and noticed she was hiding a blush, probably by the little nickname he gave her.

They returned to Gabriel a few minutes after, pretending nothing happened. Marinette got a schedule. It showed what she needed to do and when things needed to be finished. He wasn't very strict on the designs, she had free range. As long as whatever she wanted to make was finished in time. Of course, he had to like it before he would agree that it could be worn in one of his shows.

After Marinette left again, Adrien was staring out his window, grunting loudly at himself. He missed her already. It felt so good being near her, feeling her skin under his hands. And that kiss! Not one he would ever forget. He hoped that one day he could do it again. Kiss her like that, and maybe even more. But she made herself clear. She didn't want to be involved with him, their relationship was strictly professional.

But he didn't want professional, he wanted more. So much more. If only she knew how much he adored her, would she change her mind? After all, she thought he was cute, she admitted it herself. Somewhere deep down she liked him too, she just thought her career was more important. Her future was more important. But what about her future with him?

He thought he was crazy. He knew the girl for a week and yet he was planning his future with her. That was how much he liked her, how much he loved her. It was love, right? Oh, why couldn't she see it?! It was right in front of her, a happy love life with him, didn't she want that too?

Maybe he could convince her. Show her how much he cared about her, whatever she might say about them needing to stay professional be damned. He wanted her in his life, needed her. And he would show her that she needed him too.

But it could drift her away. Maybe she would even cancel their agreement for the sake of being away from him, so he couldn't show his feelings to her anymore. But then that meant they weren't working together anymore and he could do whatever he wanted. She couldn't make up an excuse about them needing to be professional.

A part of him said that scheming this whole plan about being with her was wrong and evil. If she said no, then it was no, right? He could still spend time with her during the job and maybe even outside of that, as her friend. Then he could see her.

He couldn't kiss her though. He couldn't hold her close and caress her face. Couldn't slowly move his fingers through her hair and tell her how much he loved her. Couldn't be with her the way he wanted to be with her.

The need to be with her got the better of him. His imagination went rigid and he pictured all kinds of situations he could be in with her. And how he wanted to be in those situations with her. How he just wanted her.

He was a psychopath, someone needing to be locked up, he thought. How could he think about one simple person this way? This wasn't like him at all. He was calm, serious, silent and a complete gentleman. Thinking about her almost turned him in some sort of beast. Picturing her with him in so many ways, some so weird he didn't dare to describe them.

It was want, need, lust. A craving for her. Something inside of him that he couldn't control.

He was going to be her friend all right, getting as close to her as he could. Her mind said no, his mind said yes. That meant he was going to make sure her mind would say yes too, eventually. He was going to convince her, one way or another.

oOo

He could officially say they were friends now. After four months of working together, they got to know each other. Sometimes he would make a suggestive joke where she would roll her eyes at. Other times he would kiss her cheek, neck or even her lips quickly. She would be astounded and scold him, but he would say it was just to tease. It wasn't of course, but she needed to warm up to him.

After all these months, he convinced his father that he could go to Marinette's one time instead of her going to him. Right now they were in her room and she was on her knees in front of him, adjusting his pants. He couldn't resist the thoughts of what else she could do in that position. He even commented it out loud, actually regretting it because he thought it was too much. She grunted at his comment, mostly out of embarrassment, but still had to laugh and admitted that it wasn't the most charming position.

"Hm, I think it's good for now," she said as she stood up. "Walk around for a bit."

He did as he was told to and walked in a circle around her.

"And, how do they feel?"

"Comfortable. Not too tight. Not feeling like they can fall apart any second. You did a good job, Princess."

She sighed. "Stop calling me that."

"What? Princess?" He was standing in front of her now.

"Yes, friends don't call each other that. You're my friend, right?"

"Of course, I am. You know I'm just teasing."

"Uh-huh." She didn't sound convinced. "Move your arms up, I want to adjust the sleeves."

He complied. She went for his right sleeve. Her face was close to his, her eternal blush mixed with freckles on her cheeks and nose, like always. He didn't know how, but in his opinion she got more beautiful each day.

He pouted his lips and came closer to her face. She noticed what he was doing and pushed him away.

"Adrien…"

He put his hands up in defense. "Just teasing."

"Yeah, right."

"Marinette, do you and Adrien want to try out our new cookies?" Came from downstairs.

"Sure, dad," she answered. "You want some?" She asked Adrien.

"Sure," Adrien said. "But first…" A quick peck on the cheek and he hollered down her stairs, chuckling.

She blushed fiercely. "Adrien!" It took her a few seconds to get back to reality. She walked down her stairs too, but at a slow pace.

Adrien was already trying out the baked cookies and chewed pleased. "They're really good, sir!"

"Glad you like 'em, son."

As Marinette took one of the cookies, she glared at Adrien with slitted eyes and shook her head disapprovingly. He had the nerve to grin back like he was innocent.

"So, how's the dress coming along?" Her mother asked as she entered the room.

"Dress?" Adrien questioned.

"For school," Marinette explained. "Winter ball this Friday. Some sort of prom, but different. Just for fun. It's not really a big deal."

"But enough of a big deal you make your own dress," he said with a raised brow.

"I'll always make my own clothes if I get the change."

He smiled. "So, you got a date?"

She knew where he was going with this. "No, but that's not necessary. I'm going with Alya and Nino as a group."

"Oh, but those two will probably run off somewhere together the second they get the change. You'll be thirdwheeling."

She scolded herself for saying this. "What are you suggesting?"

He narrowed his eyes. "I've never been to school before, let alone a ball of some sort. I wouldn't mind going as your date. I know I don't go to your school, but that doesn't matter, right?"

Why did she even gave him the idea? "Only if you have a nice suit, I'm not gonna walk next to some potato sack with my fabulous dress."

"You know exactly what's in my closet, I would never wear a potato sack. Though, even I could make that look good." He flipped his hair.

She secretly laughed at him, but tried to hide it with her hand. He still saw it. "Then wear the gray Gucci one, with the dark blue tie. You know what I'm talking about."

He nodded. "Sure do. Can I see your dress?"

"Nope, it's not done yet. You'll see it Friday." She booped his nose, an action she regretted since she didn't want to give him ideas.

He smiled playfully in return. "Okay, I'll see you Friday then. Not sure if there's anything on my schedule, but I'll make time to be your prince to the ball."

"Only if my prince actually behaves like one, like a true gentleman."

"He will. All for his princess."

Her parents didn't get the underlying tone of their words and cheered happily. "Oh, that will be so much fun!" Sabine said. "I'm sure Adrien will adore you in your dress, Marinette."

He would always adore her, he thought.

"Sure," she responded absentmindedly, staring at Adrien's eyes.

He stared right back at her, only to be interrupted by a text. He looked at his phone. "My driver's outside."

She went for her stairs. "Let's get you out of your clothes quickly then." She turned red immediately as she said it, knowing Adrien couldn't let this one slide.

He winked at her. "As you wish." He walked passed her up the stairs and brushed his hand slightly against hers, on purpose.

She was entranced for a moment, but shook it off and followed him to her room.

oOo

Friday had arrived. Adrien did as he was told to and went to Marinette's place in his gray Gucci suit with blue tie. When Marinette walked down the stairs he thought he died and had gone to Heaven. Or Hell, thinking it was a sin to be looking like that. She didn't want anything to happen between them, but why would she do this to his heart then?

Her dress was light pink, not surprising since it was her favorite color. A dress with a heart shaped neck and glitters on the sleeves that flowed loosely around her arms until her elbows. It was long, but not too long, you could still see her shoes. Silver peep toe heels. She had silver earrings, in the shape of cats, and matched it with a silver bracelet and ring. Her makeup was natural, but she wore extra eyeliner to make her eyes pop, which they did. Her hair was up in a bun, tiny silver decorations and glitters hidden in her blue locks.

"You're gorgeous," Adrien said.

She saw the amazed and big eyed look he gave her. He was enchanted by her looks and it was clear for her to see. She has never seen a boy look at her like that before. In some way she still had a thing for him, she would never deny that to herself, but she couldn't let him know that. He would maybe want to date her, seeing as he showed his feelings towards her a few months ago, and that could risk her sort-of-internship with Mr. Agreste. She still couldn't hide the blush though at his compliment. "T-thank you."

He heard the tiny stutter. And he could see the pink on her cheeks. Pride flowed through him. "Shall we go?"

After a few pictures Marinette's parents desperately wanted to take, they got into Adrien's fancy car and went to the school.

It was a big building, bigger than Adrien expected. The school's gymnasium was turned into a dancing hall. A lot of people were there. When they walked inside, Adrien's breath got stuck in his throat.

Marinette grasped his hand, not caring what kind of thoughts her action could awaken. "It's okay," she soothed.

He squeezed her hand. "Thank you."

She looked around thoughtfully before dragging him with her. "Let's dance."

"W-what? In the middle of the crowd?!"

She laughed at his panicked voice. "It'll take your mind off the people. Just block them out like you do on stage!"

He has never had this much fun. Marinette didn't care about rhythm at all. Sometimes they half slow danced and then they practically jumped in the air to the beat. Dancing with Marinette was fun. She really did honor to the saying 'Dance like no one's watching', not only did she act like it but she also gave him the feeling that it was actually just the two of them.

Later on when they took a break, they hung with Alya and Nino. That didn't take long though. Both Adrien and Marinette assumed they probably snuck off somewhere to make out.

It was getting quite hot inside the hall. Marinette was chatting with one of her classmates, he remembered her name being Mylène, and even though he didn't want to leave her side, he thought she could handle it on her own for a bit and took a break. He stepped outside the warm room and strolled through the school a bit.

All the classrooms were closed, except for one. He entered it to check it out and turned on the lights. The music room, filled with instruments. They probably left the door open because they needed the boxes for the music in the gymnasium.

His eyes landed on the piano. He sat on the stool in front of it and rested his fingers on the keys.

"You play, right?"

His shoulders tensed for a second, but he quickly relaxed at her voice, her beautiful, sweet voice. He didn't turn around. "Yes."

He heard her walk to him. "Play something for me. I love piano music."

"What do you want to hear?"

"Oh, so you do requests, huh?" She sat down next to him on the tiny space left on the stool. "I actually don't care. Just play whatever you feel."

Play whatever you feel she said. If he would play what he felt, he would play a love song that would go on forever.

His fingers lingered on the keys for a second before he started playing. It was a beautiful song, quite romantic. He didn't remember when he learned it, it was probably a long time ago. Maybe from his mother?

With short glances between the keys and Marinette, he saw she was smiling contently, softly humming along and moving her head.

It felt like an eternity, but the song was over after a few minutes. Adrien moved his head to Marinette who was staring in front of her, still dazed.

She looked so innocent and pretty now. How could he resist her now that they were so close?

He used his hand to hold her chin and he averted her gaze to him.

A short silence where they looked in each other's eyes.

"Adrien, we shouldn't-"

"I know," he said and he gave her one soft kiss.

"Please," she whispered.

Another kiss, a bit more passionate now.

"Stop it." She still talked softly.

He left her lips and went for her jaw, then her neck. Even though she pleaded him to stop, she still lifted her head to give him more access, not able to resist the soft touch.

"I'm begging you," she breathed out, repressing a moan.

"You're so pretty, Marinette," he said in between the pecks on the neck. "So beautiful and gorgeous. So wonderful."

She let the moan slide from her throat as he softly nibbled on her neck, this time making sure it would actually feel good.

"So smart, yes, oh so clever. And funny, you're hilarious. To me you're perfect in each and every way."

"Adrien, please stop," came out strangled.

He grinned. "You're voice is amazing. It does wonders to me. It's very sexy. It really turns me on."

"Adrien, stop it. This is not a game." Her voice was not a whisper anymore.

"Oh, it isn't?" She could feel his smirk on her neck.

"No, not anymore."

He paused for a second. "So, you thought it was at first?

No response.

He went on with what he was doing. "Come on, Marinette. Don't tell me that this-" He pulled her a little closer. "-is not what you want."

"My whole future is at stake. If this whole thing with your dad goes wrong I'm not sure if I'll ever be able to work in fashion in any way. You want me to give up my dream?"

"I'll think of something."

"Adrien, no."

"Well, you're not stopping me. Just push me away." He kissed her neck once more.

"I asked you to stop multiple times. You should respect that. I thought you were such a gentleman?"

"When it comes to you? No." That was the truth.

She finally pushed his head away and looked at him with her arms crossed.

He looked at her with a smirk and held her chin. "She finally got the guts."

"Not that you care about that," she retorted.

He kissed her tenderly on the lips, just one soft kiss. "No, I do not."

"You're not getting it, aren't you? I have told you over a million times I don't want-"

"No, you're not getting it." His voice was a bit louder now, but he sighed and softened it. "You don't get that this means something to me. You mean something to me. I like being with you. I like seeing you and your beautiful face, your kind smile. I like hearing your voice, which is oh, so sweet. Smelling your bakery scent, it's intoxicating and delicious, though you just think it's annoying."

He softly caressed the right side of her face.

"I also like feeling your soft skin under my hands. Looking into those gorgeous bluebell eyes."

He stared into them, seeing the serious but awed look she gave him. His lips were really close to hers and they could feel each other's breaths.

"And the tenderness and softness of you lips."

He kissed her again, a quick peck.

"You just don't get that... that I love you, Marinette. I love you with every fiber of my being. I want you near me all the time and I don't want you to reject my feelings. You saying no wounds me. I won't have it."

A moment of silence. He hoped his confession convinced her that they could become something more, something real.

"T-this is not love."

"What?" Her look was serious and maybe even… angry? But he also saw tears stinging in the corners of her eyes. Were they from anger or sadness?

"You don't love me. If you would love me you would listen to my pleas. You would have stopped the first time and you would have moved on. But you didn't."

"If I don't love you, what do I feel then?"

Tears started to drip down her cheeks. "I don't know. But it's something wrong. Something unhealthy. An infatuation. An-an obsession. Please, just stay away from me." She got up and started to walk back to the dancing hall.

"You know that's quite impossible if we have to work together," he called after her.

She turned around. "I know." She left the classroom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't want you all thinking Adrien is some big, horny jerk. He isn't. We're talking about a guy with an obsession here, an addiction to this girl. If you tell a smoker to quit smoking, they'll be thinking about a cigaratte too. I can speak from experience (don't worry, I've never smoked, my parents smoked but they quit). Adrien constantly thinks about Marinette and wants her all the time. Even though he has admitted to himself it might not be heathy, he still has to figure out he needs to get help.
> 
> And about Marinette, I'm triggering the feminist inside of me. Why doesn't she just slap Adrien and walk away? you probably ask. Well, Marinette's never had a boyfriend before, she just thought it was harmless flirting and kissing in the beginning, but now she sees that what Adrien feels is not normal.
> 
> Also, I'm still thinking about smutting up this story (they're around 17 so why the hell not), but I just feel awkward writing it. I don't mind reading, like, I live for smut fics, but I just don't know how to write without feeling like 'Ugh, my hands just feel nasty after typing this on my keyboard.' Any tips from smut readers/writers?


	3. When I Fell For You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I actually had no clue how to continue this, but I suppose it turned out fine.
> 
> Enjoy!

She hadn't talked to him ever since the party. He texted her, tried to call her, even went to her house the next day, but she didn't want to acknowledge him. He screwed up.

He'd moved too fast, he knew that. He should have kept his mouth shut until the right time. But desire got the better of him.

She did go to work though, but never talked to him. It wasn't necessary. There weren't any new outfits for him to try out, only meetings for her with his father. That worked in her favor, but not in his. He needed to speak to her.

She would hate him for it, but he would wait for her outside the school. She couldn't avoid him then.

When the school bell rang, Adrien waited for her in anticipation. He recognized some people from the party, but no Marinette.

He was greeted by a big bush of blonde hair coming his way.

"Adrien? Is that you? Are those for moi?" She pointed to the bouquet of flowers in his hands. "That's so thoughtful!"

Adrien sighed and rolled his eyes. Really, Chloé was his friend he cared about, but she was in his way now.

"I'm so sorry, Chlo, but I don't have time right now. I'm waiting for someone else. Besides, you're driver is waiting for you." He pointed with his thumb to the car behind him.

"But-"

"Talk to you later."

She huffed and stomped away, obviously offended. Knowing Chloé though, she would probably have forgotten and forgiven his behavior by tomorrow.

It took a few minutes, minutes that killed him, but eventually Marinette stepped out of the front doors of the school. She didn't see him at first, but Alya did spot him and bumped her friend with her elbow. When Marinette's eyes landed on him, she immediately scowled.

She walked past him, not giving him any attention whatsoever. Adrien sighed, defeated, and looked at the ground. He looked up again when Alya hit his shoulder.

"Go after her then."

He was confused. Surely, Marinette had told Alya everything. Why did she still approve of him?

"Look," Alya started, "I don't know what happened between you two, Marinette didn't want to talk about it, but I'm sure it's fixable if you try. So go."

Adrien nodded at that and fixed his gaze on Marinette's back. She was about to cross the street.

He ran. He ran as fast as he could. He had never moved so fast before.

"Marinette, please," he said in between pants. He jumped in front of her, making her stop in the middle of the sidewalk. "Just hear me out. Here." He pushed the flowers in her arms. "For you."

She looked at the flowers almost like she was disgusted by them. "Flowers? Just because I'm a girl doesn't mean flowers will fix everything!"

"I know, I know. It's just… they're an extra apology. Just listen to me first."

"I don't want to, I've tried to make that clear countless times." She walked further, he kept following her. "Just leave me alone."

"But Marinette-"

"No!" Her yelling got a bit of attention of passerbys. "Just because you're Adrien fucking Agreste, doesn't mean you're gonna get what you want. You messed up, big time. And now I don't want to listen to you. I don't want to talk to you. I don't want to look at you, hell, I don't even want to see you breathing in my direction. The only thing that I want is for you to leave me alone!"

Adrien was stunned in silence by her outburst. He wanted to say so much to her, but didn't know what were the right words to say. "I…" That was the only thing that came out.

"And don't come to me with things like 'I love you' or whatever. I don't want to hear it." She crossed her arms, still holding the flowers, and bit her lip to keep her emotions in check. She wasn't going to lose her composure, but she was obviously upset and on the verge of tears.

It would make him look like a fool, an idiot, a complete moron, but he would do anything for her.

He went to his knees in front of her, hunching his back a tiny bit and looking up with puppy dog eyes. "I beg of you to let me stay in your life. In whatever way. This is not how things are supposed to end between us."

Her gaze softened a bit at his pleading, but she was still angry. "There was nothing between us to begin with!"

Even though she had raised her voice, he kept his calm and soft. "That's not what I meant." He reached out for her hand. He expected her to pull away, but she didn't. "Please, if you never want to see me again, fine, but I don't want you to be mad at me, to remember me like this. I want you to remember me as someone who was by your side when you needed them. A shoulder to cry on, a person you shared happy moments with, who you ranted to when you needed to blow off some steam. A… a friend." He used his other hand to scratch the back of his neck. "And I know I didn't really act like that… I actually don't know what I was thinking. I'm just as confused about my behavior as you are, it's like I had no control. I just-"

She kneeled down with him. Hesitating shortly, her gaze to the concrete, she wrapped him in her arms. He wasn't sure if hugging back was the right choice, so he sat in his position, unmoving.

She pulled away. "I… maybe should have listened to you first before yelling. I'm sorry for that."

"Don't be!" He stood up again. She followed his actions. "I completely understand. I've been an ass. I'm actually surprised you're not yelling at me right now."

She chuckled. He was totally baffled by it, but she actually chuckled.

"So… what do you say? Can we give this another shot? At being friends, I mean."

She sighed and massaged her forehead with her free hand. "Look, Adrien. I… I just don't know if that's a good idea."

"But I thought that you-"

"Just because I'm less mad, doesn't mean you're off the hook! I still haven't forgiven what you did."

"Then let me repay you! Let me try to be the best friend I can be."

She smiled sympathetically. "The thing is, I'm not sure if trying to be friends is the best option, but I do want to help you."

That made his mind stop for a second. "…Help me?"

"You said it yourself, you felt like you had no control what you were doing. And I've seen the way you looked at me."

He didn't expect her to suddenly move in close, almost pressing her body flush against his.

"How does this make you feel?"

Crazy. Utterly, absolutely, totally, completely crazy. For her that is.

"Uhm…"

She moved one of her hands to his shoulder and pulled herself a little bit closer. His face was beet red. She on the other hand had a look of concentration. She didn't seem flustered in the slightest by their position.

"Okay, this gonna sound weird, but… what would you want to do to me when we're like this?"

What wouldn't he want to do to her was the more important question.

"Well, you see, I probably shouldn't say that out loud."

Her eyes widened in slight terror at his confession, but smiled amused after that. "I see." She let go of him and walked around him in circles in thought, like a hawk looking at its prey.

"What are you doing?"

"Studying you."

"Y-you what?" What was he, a lab rat?

Not bothering to explain further, she grabbed him by the wrist and tugged him with her towards and inside her house.

"Wait, what are we doing?"

"You're having dinner at my place," she simply said.

He raised a brow. "But I thought you said being friends wasn't a good plan."

"That's because I have a different plan."

"Which is…?"

She turned to him, an excited expression plastered all over her face. "Adrien Agreste, I'm going to teach you what real love is!"

oOo

She didn't have much experience with love herself. She had never had a boyfriend, had never fallen in love with someone. She loved her friends and family dearly, but that was a different kind of love.

She never had feelings for someone except for… well, him.

From the first moment she spoke to him she thought he was attractive. She thought he was nice. And she would be lying if she said he wasn't a good kisser.

Any other person would think she was nuts by rejecting a famous model who was good looking, nice to her and totally head over heels for her. But when did she ever really listen to anyone else except for her friends? If it didn't feel right, you shouldn't pursue it, right?

She typed away on her computer, Adrien lying on her chaise and playing with a Rubiks Cube he found hidden around her room. When he looked in her direction he saw the flowers he gave her were put in a vase on her desk.

"So, how is internet going to help me know what love is? You gonna go to WikiHow?" He snickered. If there was anything you shouldn't take advice from, it was WikiHow.

"No, but look." She clicked one last time with her mouse to open a tab. "Infatuation. An intense but short-lived passion or admiration for someone or something."

Adrien shrugged. "I do admire you-"

"Obsession," she interrupted. "An idea or thought that continually preoccupies or intrudes on a person's mind."

He dumbly nodded at that. Not sure where she was going with this.

"Love. A profoundly tender, passionate affection for another person or anything else for that matter." She seemed to be done. She twirled her chair to him. "What is the difference between the first two and the last one?"

He studied the meanings of the three words. They didn't seem to be that different, but if you looked closely you could see it. He knew what she was trying to say.

"The first two don't seem that positive. It's like it's a bad thing."

She smiled and nodded. "Precisely. And really, if you look at yourself and at those descriptions, do you really think you love me?"

That was something worth pondering over. Everything in his body said yes, while logic said no. He didn't even know her that well. He learned stuff about her because they became friends, but those things weren't the reason he felt what he felt.

It was all her. Her mere presence made his heart beat faster, without a reason. Sure, he knew a lot about her, thought of her and admired her, but even he was starting to wonder now if he actually loved her.

It almost seemed like she was some sort of drug to him.

"I… I don't know."

Marinette squinted her eyes in thought for a second before swiveling her chair back to the computer. "Well, that's progress. At least you're not drooling over me."

Adrien laughed and looked away, a bit embarrassed. "Actually, you don't want to know how much I'm restraining myself to not jump you."

She bit her bottom lip, Adrien wasn't sure if she did that to hold back a laugh or her shock. She looked at him shortly before going back to her computer.

He had to ask. "So, you're not afraid of me? After what I just said?"

She snorted. "Afraid of you? Nah."

Both his eyebrows jolted up. "Really?"

"Really."

He smirked. Testing the waters, he came to her from behind and wrapped his arms around her, his head on her shoulder. "And now?"

She didn't seem to be uncomfortable at all. "Nope."

He hugged her a bit tighter and whispered in her ear. "Not at all?"

She nudged him away by his nose. "Adrien," she said scoldingly.

"What?" He tried to sound as innocent as he could. "You're the one who draped yourself all over me in the middle of the street."

"That… that was for research."

He couldn't help but smile playfully at her. "Right, research."

"To see how you responded."

"Uh-huh."

"To check your body language."

"I totally believe you."

She stood up and poked him the chest. "No, you don't! You better wipe that grin off your face."

He tried to hold back his laughter. "I'm sorry, Princess."

She sighed and massaged her temples. "You really need to knock it off with the Princess stuff."

"Why? I think it's an adorable nickname."

"But I'm not your princess."

"I never said you were mine. I'm just saying what I'm seeing."

At that she blushed, turning away to hide it from him but his laugh showed that he had. "Cut it out."

He was the one to sit down on the desk chair now. "If you want, you can give me a nickname too."

"But I don't," she said, leaning against her bedroom wall.

"Oh, come on. Isn't there anything you'd like to call me?"

"Prick." It came out fluently and quick, like she spent no time thinking about it. She smiled triumphantly.

"Okay, that hurt. But seriously, nothing? It doesn't have to mean anything. Friends give each other nicknames too, right?"

True, she thought, but what if he would get the wrong idea?

"Okay, let me think. Hm… kitty."

Of all names she could choose from, he definitely didn't expect her to pick that one.

"Kitty?"

"Yes, kitty."

"Because?"

"You're so needy, seriously. And you can be a bitch sometimes, don't try to tell me otherwise."

Adrien hummed. "I do love me some cuddles and petting, depending on the person of course. Okay, kitty it is." He opened his arms for her, obviously wanting her to hug him. With an eye roll she moved to him and let his arms slip around her. She was basically sitting in his lap on the chair now, but not in a suggestive way. "There we go."

They sat in silence for a while. Adrien was the one to break it.

"You're not mad at me anymore, are you?"

She turned her face to him. "No, I already told you. I was never really mad, you can't control what you feel, it was just… I was disappointed. I thought you had more self restraint."

"But we're working on that now!"

She smiled. "Exactly."

He smiled back. "So, how is this journey gonna go of you teaching me what love is?"

"Step by step, kitty. Just wait and see."

oOo

Not all of her plans worked out. For instance, to get Adrien to socialise more was pretty hard. He wasn't a people person. Every time they would go shopping together and she insisted that he should talk to a store clerk for a size shirt instead of her, he would close off and run away to hide in the changing rooms. Pulling him out was even the worst part. He was pretty strong and wasn't afraid to hold onto the curtains as she pulled him away by his legs.

Another one of her plans was for Adrien to go to school to make more friends. But since graduation for him (and her) would be in less than six months, it didn't really make much sense. By the time everything would be arranged, there wouldn't be much time for him to make friends.

But he could befriend her own friends. Every once in a while they would hang out together; go to the park, the arcade, get ice cream. Even Chloé participated sometimes.

So Adrien tagged along, much to his dismay. He knew Chloé, Nino and Alya of course, but he didn't like new people.

At the beginning Adrien stayed at either Marinette, Nino or Alya's side, basically clutching onto them for dear life. He really did do honor to the name kitty, which caught on to everyone after hearing Marinette saying it one time. It had become his name by everyone, except for Chloé who didn't think the name suited him and definitely wasn't going to call him that after learning Marinette was the one who thought of it.

One time they went ice skating. Nino and Alya couldn't stop laughing at Marinette's clumsy ass dropping to the ice every few minutes, but she quickly learned, thanks to Adrien helping her.

Another time they went to McDonald's, which was Adrien's first time. Everyone ordered different things on purpose so Adrien could take a bite from everything to taste the whole menu. His body not being used to this kind of food, the toilet was his new best friend for the next three days, but he never regretted it.

Yeah, making friends wasn't the easiest thing in the world.

Adrien managed though. He had fun and at one point even hung out with Kim and Alix without anyone else! He really had made friends.

And his father let him. He wasn't too keen at first when Adrien said on almost a daily basis that he was going to do something with Marinette, but eventually relented. When Adrien told about Nino he even approved!

Adrien had a lot more freedom now. But there were still rules. Rules he didn't like, but he couldn't wish for too much. He didn't want to outrun his luck.

Around summer, he went to the graduation of the entire class. Luckily, everyone had made it. No one needed to redo a year. Even though Adrien's 'graduation' wasn't as big as a real high school one, all of his friends did insist that they should all celebrate their first steps to adulthood with a big party, and that Adrien should definitely join.

After all, he was their friend.

Marinette was still intoxicating to him. That was just a feeling he could never shake off. Her scent was delicious, her beauty was unmeasurable, her kindness went beyond everything. She was an amazing person. And he told her every day.

Marinette had the tendency of doubting herself in tough situations, except when it came to others.

She still wasn't convinced of her own designing skills, even after she got a scholarship to one of Paris' biggest fashion schools (Gabriel's internship might having to do with that).

But he encouraged her to go after her dreams. Told her how amazing she was whenever he could. In a friendly manner, of course.

Everyone went separate ways, some staying in contact with each other and some not. Even though Adrien had a lot of fun with everyone, the only people he stayed in contact with were Alya, Nino, Chloé and Marinette. Making friends was one thing, keeping them another. Couldn't ask too much from him.

Nino and Alya quickly moved in together. Alya had become a successful reporter, even during her studies, and was known throughout Paris. Nino didn't do too shabby either. After someone on Ibiza heard one of his self made tracks, the guy couldn't get enough of his music and asked him for more. Nino had his own club in the heart of Paris now.

Marinette's scholarship was a huge boast for her. After getting her diploma from her college, she started out with selling clothes online, but quickly rose to the top when she was discovered. You could even say she was a highend fashion designer!

And Adrien?

He might have had his freedom in the last months of being a teenager, but his father still had control of him. Adrien thought that once he was officially an adult, his father would be out of his life. Or at least not controlling it anymore.

He went to business school. Not because it was necessary, he already knew the ins and outs of his father's business, but no one would hire him if he said he just had experience. Only a degree would do.

And boy was he succesful. He traveled all around the world, eventually settling in New York. It was a good home base and he was pretty good at English.

He chatted and called with people almost everyday and lived in one of the most crowded cities to exist! His past self couldn't have dreamed of it, but here he was, all thanks to Marinette.

Marinette.

He still had contact with her, but it was hard ever since he officially moved out of the country. She would always have a place in his heart though.

He didn't love her, never had. She was right though from the beginning. She was on his mind everyday back then, but he never loved her. And she made him realize that, like she intended to.

It wasn't even that she taught him what love was, but she taught him what friendship was. That there were different ways of caring about someone and what those ways meant.

She was his friend. His best friend. He actually did love her, but in a different way. He loved Nino too. And Alya. And his black cat Plagg he got after he was completely settled in his apartment.

She wasn't his true love. She was his friend.

Maybe he would see his love in New York.

And he did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Ducks out of the way to dodge knives from Adrienette shippers*
> 
> I just wanted to do something else. Believe me, I'm craving for these two to just get together already, but I thought I should try something else. Friends!Adrienette is nice too, right?
> 
> So, as you can see the story is over.
> 
> Or so you thought! *insert evil laugh*
> 
> I'm thinking of making a sequel, which will be a new story. Not too many chapters, just Adrien in New York and him dealing with love (cause who could it be…)
> 
> Hint, be prepared for smut. And I would never write smut with Adrien and someone else expect for…
> 
> You fill in the blank. *wink*


End file.
